Political commentary from the LA Times

Donald Trump is proving that running around to countless media outlets saying he is the Democrats' "worst nightmare" while banging the "birther" drum that President Obama isn't being fully truthful about his birth certificate pays off.

A new Pew Research poll released Wednesday shows the brash billionaire leading the pack of other possible 2012 Republican presidential candidates in regards to public perception. A poll conducted April 14-17 shows that 39% of Republicans have heard Trump's name mentioned more than any other candidate's.

Mitt Romney was the only other Republican who scored double digits in the poll with 12%. Strangely, it could have been all the birth certificate talk that Romney found himself involved in last week that may have stuck in the heads of those polled.

Romney, in an appearance on CNBC's "Kudlow Report" a week ago, distanced himself from Trump and the other birthers, who have questioned whether Obama was born in the U.S. "I think the citizenship test has been passed," Romney said. "There are real reasons to get this guy out of office," he added, "but his citizenship isn't the reason why."

Earlier in the week, Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi playfully noted that she asked Romney's spokeman to see the the former Massachusetts governor's birth certificate, but it was never delivered and has proved difficult to retrieve as "birth records are restricted in Michigan and only a person or parent named on the record, or a legal guardian or representative can request a copy."

Romney was born in Detroit in 1947... if he is to be believed.

Obama's Hawaii birth certificate shows he was born in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961.

Only four other possible GOP candidates were named in the Pew poll. Four percent of Republicans who were polled said that they had heard about Sarah Palin the most, 3% said they had heard about Mike Huckabee the most, and Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty each had 1%.

Among those who identified themselves as Democrats, Trump was top of mind to 26% of those polled. Romney trailed with 9%.